SUBSEA EUROPE EXPANDS R&D FOCUS

Subsea Europe Services has appointed a new boss to head up its expanded R&D facility at the Rostock Ocean Technology Campus

The company’s expanded R&D department will focus on development of new autonomous surface and underwater solutions, as well as the digitalisation of marine data.

Under the leadership of Dr Frank Niemeyer, who was appointed as head of research and development in January 2023, Subsea Europe Services plans to grow the department further with new data science, mechatronics, software development and platform management roles.

“I’m excited to apply my R&D experience in the pursuit of achieving true autonomy for marine surveying as well as supporting the development of the entirely new business models it will enable,” said Niemeyer.

Leading research

Offshore Technology Campus Rostock is widely regarded as one of Europe’s leading marine technology and research clusters, making it the perfect location for Subsea Europe Services’ next phase of expansion.

The new R&D facility measures 100m2 and will be used for developing the company’s autonomous platform capabilities for marine survey with the Autonomous Surveyor Autonomous Surface Vesseland underwater inspection, with the A.IKANBILIS Hovering Autonomous Underwater Vehicle.

The R&D team will also focus on creating new applicationspecific AI-powered autonomous control systems and unlocking the potential of swarm surveys featuring multiple autonomous vehicles with crewed or uncrewed motherships capable of managing the entire operation.

These cutting-edge marine survey technologies and methodologies contribute to a unique and disruptive strategy that can positively transform marine survey and underwater inspection for all stakeholders.

Niemeyer joins Subsea Europe Services from his previous role as a scientific research associate at the Fraunhofer Institute for Large Structures in Production Engineering, where he has been on secondment at the Rostock branch office of the “Smart Ocean Technology” research group, working on diverse technical R&D projects.

He has previously worked as research associate at the University of Rostock and chair of Geodesy and Geoinformatics.

A portable green solution to data collection

The French marine measuring instrument designer, Neotek, is branching out into subsea data collection and processing.

The company’s SEA360 offering combines both cutting edge technologies for data collection and the expertise of its highly skilled data processing team. Sea360 poses as an alternative to existing solutions.

“Sea360 consists of the implementation of instrumented robotic autonomous platforms (AUV) and the use of portable, innovative, modular technologies with a reduced carbon footprint, making it possible to collect high-quality data quality,” the company says.

Neotek has its own fleet of UAVs and fixed survey platforms.

Neotek’s dedicated team of specialists, engineers, technicians and operational vessel crew operate at sea using a fleet of autonomous underwater drones (AUV RTSYS COMET and AUV RTSYS Nemosens).

Depending on the needs of the job, ROVs, buoys and instrumented underwater stations can also be deployed.

The Sea360 marine data service can be

8 Offshore Technology Campus

Rostock is widely regarded as one of Europe’s leading marine technology and research clusters used for rapid environmental impact and assessment measurements, pre and post marine construction surveys, underwater inspections of structures, cables and pipes, UXO detection, marine geophysics, hydrography, and marine archaeology.

Data collection sets can consist of sonar, magnetometry, bathymetry, acoustics, turbidity and sub-bottom profiling, among others, which are then processed and edited for the client. The company is a subsidiary of the Sea Vorian group which dedicates iteself to the design, production, integration and implementation of high-tech equipment in marine environments. It also specialises in the distribution of measurement, navigation and robotics instruments, in the design of marine data measurement systems and associated maintenance.